In the summer of 2021, the Swiss player joined BVB. Only Emre Can has been at the club longer – since January 2020. Kobel has made 217 competitive appearances in black and yellow. A milestone is waiting for the 28-year-old right at the start of the league season: his 200th Bundesliga match.
Gregor Kobel is a guarantee of reliability and has become one of the faces of the team. In 2025/26, he was the Bundesliga's best goalkeeper; in four of the last five seasons, he was named the league's top keeper.
Niko Kovac says of him: "He did fantastic work here even before I arrived. We have a great goalkeeper in our ranks. He radiates calm and composure and saves what he has to save. And if it takes a superhuman stop, he's capable of that too."
Is a sentence like that confirmation of years of hard work?"It's very nice to hear something like that, especially from your own coach. He's also been at quite a few places and seen a lot. So a statement like that means a great deal to me."
The son of a former top-flight professional ice hockey player was born in Zurich on St. Nicholas Day in 1997 and trained at Grasshopper Club. In 2014, at the age of 16, he moved to the youth academy of TSG Hoffenheim. After his first appearances for the senior side under coach Julian Nagelsmann, he was loaned to FC Augsburg in January 2019, where he played in 16 of the 17 possible matches in the second half of the season. In the summer of 2019, he joined then-second-division side VfB Stuttgart. A year later, he helped the club win promotion to the Bundesliga. The 1.96-meter athlete has been under contract with Borussia Dortmund since 2021, with his deal extended early until June 2028.
"It's an honor to be on the pitch for BVB. We've experienced many beautiful moments and many tough ones. I'm grateful for every day I get to do my sport."
At what age did you first become aware of BVB?"Early, very early. We've had quite a few Swiss lads here who played very well and celebrated major success. Whether it was Stéphane Chapuisat, Alex Frei, or Philipp Degen, who is now my advisor."
You reached the Champions League final with BVB and played in the Club World Cup, both bringing great memories. But there's still something missing that you can actually hold in your hands …"As an ambitious athlete, you always play to win trophies as well. Unfortunately, we haven't managed that, even though we came very close in the league in 2023 and in the Champions League in 2024. But I still think we've experienced a lot of beautiful things and a lot of good things so far. And I still have two years left on my contract here. Let's see what we can achieve."
What influence did your parents have on your career? People say you could also have become a good ice hockey player. And that you got into football when your mother was taking tennis lessons …"Next to my mom's tennis club was the football pitch – and that's where I got to watch football and then wanted to be out there on the pitch with my classmates too. Later, when it came to choosing football and the goal of becoming a professional athlete became very clear, my father played a big role because he knew the professional sports business and was able to pass a lot on to me. I'm very grateful to my parents for everything they gave me."
"You can take something from most sports: the mindset, the work, the whole amount of effort you have to put in. I like drawing inspiration from other athletes and other sports."
You left home at 16, moving from Zurich to Hoffenheim. What was that like?"Looking back, it was a very, very big step, even if I wasn't fully aware of just how big it was at the time. Today I say: it was great for me to live alone, to be responsible for myself, to manage my own money. That growing up gave me a lot – also for my sport."
In Hoffenheim, the young Gregor Kobel had the experienced Oliver Baumann ahead of him – and in him, an outstanding mentor. Twelve years later, their paths almost crossed again. While the German, Baumann, is dropped shortly before the World Cup (and proves himself to be an exceptional team player), Kobel and the Swiss make the World Cup their tournament. Their dream only ends in the quarter-finals.
Numerous saves by Gregor Kobel during the 120 minutes against Colombia and one saved shot in the penalty shootout took the Swiss into the last eight teams in the world. For the first time since 1954, Switzerland reached a World Cup quarter-final. Seventy-two years later, Kobel follows in the footsteps of legendary Swiss national team goalkeeper Eugène Parlier.
What memories of the 2026 World Cup stand out most?"It was very special to be able to play in a tournament like that. You feel the significance and the power that a tournament like that carries. And then playing the knockout matches in different cities was a great experience for me, and I'm very happy that I was able to help my team. I'm very proud of the lads. They really did a very good job. And yes, it was a great success that we were all able to celebrate together."
BVB's number one, the national team's number one – at 28, have you arrived at what you dreamed of as a little boy?"Right now, in the day-to-day business, I'm far too close to it to think about things like that. I want to be successful, I want to be successful with Borussia Dortmund. We have a lot planned this year; we have many new players whom we need to support and introduce to Borussia Dortmund. So I'm really looking forward to the tasks ahead – and everything else is far off in the future. When you play for Borussia Dortmund, sooner or later you want to win titles. You want to win every game. Whether it's a training game, a friendly, or a league match."
